


I am only human after all

by Misty123



Series: Love of the common people [3]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Evil Albus Dumbledore, Evil Voldemort (Harry Potter), Lightside Bashing, Manipulative Albus Dumbledore, Marauders Era (Harry Potter), Multi, darkside bashing
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-24
Updated: 2020-12-25
Packaged: 2021-02-27 19:09:15
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 7,053
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22880812
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Misty123/pseuds/Misty123
Summary: Tobias Snape ends up in Hades realm after being ferried over the styx by Charon the ferry man.  Hades sentences Tobias Snape after a plea o9f clemency from his son Severus and his siblings.   What has Hades planned for Tobias after his punishment and time in the Tartarus region
Relationships: Eileen Prince/Tobias Snape, Severus Snape & Original Character(s), Severus Snape & Tobias Snape, Severus snape & lilly Evans
Series: Love of the common people [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/523663
Comments: 13
Kudos: 13





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Trickster32](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Trickster32/gifts).



> I do not own the characters of Harry Potter and I am not making money out of the story,  
> I am just playing with the characters. This is a AU story, and has Tobias reliving his life again

Tobias Alexander Snape looked around him and saw at the edge of a river bank a harbour that held only one narrow ferry boat, Tobias made his way down to the harbour and saw the ferryman grimace as he approached the harbour.

The ferryman Charon looked at Tobias and sighed in disgust as he commented “Don’t tell me! You have no money to pay me for your passage over the river Styx to Hades and Persephone realm! Where you will be judged by them on your life and its actions”

Tobias felt in his trouser pocket a large round lump! He pulled out the coin that was there and handed it to Charon, who just nodded at Tobias to get into the Ferryboat for the journey across the Styx river. All though the river was definitely underground, Tobias saw everything along the Styx banks, including people it seemed just going about their daily business. Whole families appeared to be enjoying each other’s company, Tobias couldn’t stop himself and asked Charon “If this is Hades where are all the eternal punishments that people have to suffer?”

Charon just smirked and replied “Hades is a mixture of Greek and Egyptian worlds and gods. When Zeus banned Hades to the underworld he decided to make his realm a mixture between ancient Greek and Egypt beliefs. In ancient Egypt it was believed that when a person died that had lived a righteous and moral life, then you lived in the afterlife as you had before, except that of course there are no serfs or slaves in Hades realm. When a person finally meets Hades and his lovely consort Persephone then you are judged, if you have lived a mainly moral and good life then you are free to join your ancestors a long the river Styx and live a normal existence. But if Hades judges your soul and finds that you have lived a immoral and wicked life, then he will announce your punishment” 

Tobias swallowed as his throat became dry from his sudden realisation that Hades would almost certainly pronounce judgement on his soul, and that his life would be seen by Hades to have been filled with evil thoughts and deeds. Tobias knew in his heart of hearts that he had during his life chosen the wrong turns and decisions, he just needed to know what his punishment for all eternity would be. Charon turned to Tobias and said in a conciliatory manor “Don’t worry my friend, Hades doesn’t very often dish out eternal punishments…..and then only on the recommendation of his consort Persephone”

“But you don’t know what I did in my life……” wept Tobias to Charon “The things I did to the people I was supposed to love…..my parents, my siblings and my son Severus……..there can be no forgiveness for the things I did…….no forgiveness only punishment…only punishment….” 

Charon looked at Tobias and replied “If you Tobias….yes…yes..I know everybody’s name I ferry over to Hades realm….If you are really sorry for the actions of your past life…..well between you and me (hear Charon whispered) Hades will take all that into account and he will work something out for you….can’t say what it is mind…but not all is lost Tobias…not all is lost”

But Tobias was not listening to Charon, he was reliving his sorry life and all the mistakes and relationships that he had done during his life. Charon guided the Ferryboat onto the harbour on the other side of the Styx river and spoke to a Cerberus, which moved away from the entrance gates of the realm of Hades. With a slight push Tobias found himself propelled through the gates and joining a line of souls which were moving at a steady pace in front of him. Tobias took no notice of the ornate hall that he was passing through, as he was steadily becoming more nervous and upset about the outcome of his meeting with Hades and consort. Tobias had never thought about his life and the appalling actions that he had filed it with before. Tobias had in his rather short life thought that he had the right to do the actions he had, he had in his own mind reasoned that he perfectly right to hurt the ones he loved by his words, emotions and physically and this especially meant his magical only child Severus. His state of mind did not ease in the slightest as he heard the pronouncements of Hades guards of the people he was judging and which one of the five areas of the Hades realm they would spend eternity in. Although most people got to spend eternity with their ancestors in the Asphodel meadows along the Styx river. There were people who had been hurt by love and never recovered they were sentenced to the mourning fields. Few people he noticed were sentenced to the Elysian fields for the people who had lived excellent and just lives. Tobias noticed that most of the people who thought they would be sent to the Elysian fields actually were sentenced to the Tartarus region where they would be punished either for a time or for eternity. Tobias with a sinking heart knew exactly where he was heading, and it was definitely the Tartarus region. 

Soon Tobias stood in front of Hades and his consort Persephone, Hades looked at Tobias and a servant started to unroll a very long parchment that Tobias had no doubt listed his life story Detailing his crimes and abusive actions not only towards his only son but others including his parents and siblings. 

Before the servant could begin Hades held up his hand and asked the questioned the audience “Has this man Tobias Snape any person to petition his case for either punishment or clemency” 

Tobias saw his parents and his other ancestors in the halls audience, they looked sorrowfully at Tobias, and a person to his right commented “I am afraid that the rules state that your parents and their ancestors cannot either plead for clemency or your punishment…..only another person close to you can…perhaps a sibling might do so” Tobias shook his head at the servant, he knew that through his life he had severed relations between himself and his family. He had hurt them by cutting them out of his life, he had recklessly he knew now taken the side of his wife the squib Eileen Prince. If only he could return to the past, then he would never sever and hurt his close family by his actions. Suddenly there was a commotion as a older woman pushed forward through the audience clasping and pulling another man and his only son Severus to kneel before Hades and Persephone themselves. With a leaden heart Tobias realised that it was his older sister by twelve years and his younger brother of two years before Hades, Tobias knew that his sister would never ask for clemency for him. After all it was well known through out the family that she could keep a grudge going till as the old saying went Hell would freeze over. Tobias braced himself for his sisters plea for his eternal banishment to the Tartarus region. 

Tobias sister kneeling down before Hades pleaded for clemency for Tobias, pleading that although Tobias had been very wicked and evil in his life. Tobias was not the baby or child she had seen grown up. Tobias she reminded Hades and Tobias himself had been a young man full of hope and life who had turned against his family and his personal values slowly when he had met and married his wife Eileen Prince. Although Tobias deserved to be punished for his life’s actions and especially his actions towards his only son Severus his sister asked if Tobias could be given another punishment other then be banished to the Tartarus region.

Hades clicked his fingers and the scroll that the servant had in his hands went flying to Hades hands. Hades read the scroll and then with melodic voice pronounced sentence upon Tobias “I have listened to your siblings plea for clemency for your past life’s actions. You were once a young boy and man who had hope and goodness in your heart and soul….and then you became an embittered man through the actions of your bonded Eileen Prince…..you abused the people you loved including your parents and only son!........but they still love you, and for no reason I can see your siblings and son have asked for clemency for you!...of course you must still be punished….and the punishment must fit as the living say fit the crimes you have done in your life” Hades turned to Persephone his consort and they whispered amongst each other, Hades clicked his fingers and another servant handed him a old bound book filled with parchment. Hades opened the old book and read what was written there, with a snap the book was closed and Hades spoke to Tobias his sentence “Tobias Alexander Snape you should be sentenced to the Tartarus region for eternity….but based upon the pleas of clemency of your siblings and son I have decided that that your sentence to the Tartarus region will be for as long as you review your life that you led in the upper world. You will feel every blow and physical hurt that you gave to others. You will relive the abusive and emotional actions you gave to others as you review your life in its entirely. After you have reviewed your life in the upper world, you will be brought before me for the second part of your sentence!” Hades consort spoke "I will add my own judgement as well as my bonded! To ensure you finally realise how your behaviour and actions effected your sons life...you will relive his life, you will suffer all the abuse Severus was forced to suffer during his life" and then with that announcenent Hades clicked his fingers and Tobias was dragged away to his punishment in the Tartarus region!


	2. The punishment of Tobias begins

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> a summery of Tobias time in the Tartus realm of Hades kingdom

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a chapter with just a lot of explanation and no real action, sorry for this. and for all this story will feature Eileen Snape bashing so you have been warned

Time passes differently in the realm of Hades, and what can seem a blink of an eye in the upper realm is in fact a hundred years of life in the underworld. So in three blinks of an eye Tobias punishment was ended. For the first hundred years he had spent reliving his life, as Hades had sentenced Tobias, he felt every slap, lash and drunken beating he gave to his family. Every verbal insult he gave he felt emotionally, he felt the abuse that he heaped upon his son and others, Tobias wept with the knowledge that he had hurt his family, but especially his son Severus when he saw and realised that his abuse of Severus had led him down a dark path. 

The second blink of an eye showed how his behaviour towards his parents had hurt them. Tobias realised with his heart hurting, that turning away from his parents had in fact just allowed him to become what he had never wanted to become, an abusive and violent man who blamed everybody for his failures in life. His parents had never really gotten over the shock and hurt of their eldest son and second child disowning them. He realised that his two siblings and especially his eldest sister had stood with their parents, they had still loved Tobias but could never forgive him for throwing away his parents unconditional love and help. Tobias saw that Eileen had managed to orchestrate the row between him and his parents, by ensuring that Tobias had heard a very biased version of the apparent agreement that his parents had with her. This had led him and Eileen moving up North where Severus had been born, the unconditional love he had for Severus had started to be eroded long before Severus showed his magical gift. Tobias saw that Eileen had isolated him from his family and friends that would have supported him when things had started to go wrong between Eileen and himself. 

In the third blink of an eye Tobias relived his only son’s Severus life, every lash, every slap and punch he gave to Severus he felt. The bullying that Severus endured because of the poverty that the family endured which Tobias turned a blind eye to so he could drink his wages away he felt, he endured the catcalls, the bullying of the Severus mundane peers. He saw and felt the hope and friendship that apparently grew between his son and the Evans girl Lilly, he saw and felt the hope that Severus had about going to Hogwarts away from his pitiful life in Cokeworth. Of course Tobias saw and felt the bullying and pranking from the gang called the marauders and how his house mates with his best friend used Severus for their own means. He saw the werewolf prank and the apparent favouritism of the headmaster towards the marauders and their influential and wealthy families. Tobias saw and felt Severus worst memory and realised that Lilly Evans had wanted to end the friendship between his son and herself, after all she wanted to grab herself a wealthy wizard and become a member of the nobility. 

Tobias saw that Severus was never forgiven for turning on to dark path by anybody on the called so light side, Dumbledore used Severus for his own means and ensuring that Severus never had his forgiveness that he wanted, deserved or craved. The last moments of his sons life bleeding out in the shrieking shack after giving his memories to his nemesis son. He heard the words that Severus colleague Minerva shouted out to him “COWARD” as he ran out the great hall of Hogwarts. Tobias realised that Severus had never known anybody to love him unconditionally, everybody had wanted or demanded something from him. Lilly had demanded that Severus become her lap dog who she could get rid of when it suited her, Tobias had used his son as the justification for his violent and abusive, drunken behaviour. Voldemort and Dumbledore had only wanted Severus for the resources and talents he had. It was when Severus was standing in front of Hades waiting for his judgement that Tobias wanted to plea clemency for his son, to tell Hades and Persephone that his son had never been able to live his life freely and that the love he had kept alive for Lilly was in fact manufactured by the woman when they had been at Hogwarts. He wept when Severus was sentenced to the Mourning Fields for his unrequited love of his supposed best friend Lilly Evans Potter.

For the rest of the third blink of an eye, Tobias saw the life of Harry Potter and how he was abused by his only maternal family, Lilly’s sister Petunia and her family. Tobias saw that Dumbledore had planned Harry’s life, from the moment he was born to the moment that Harry’s soul was exchanged for Dumbledore’s soul on the astronomy tower before Dumbledore had been apparently killed by Severus. Tobias saw that after the war Dumbledore using Harry’s body gain his goal of ruling the whole of the magical world as a theocracy with him as the only leader. Under Albus/Harry apparent beneficial rule the magical world stagnated as innovation and improvement was stopped as being evil and dark. 

Tobias after the three blinks of the eye or three hundred years in normal time found himself once again in front of Hades and Persephone throne awaiting the second part of his sentence. Hades look at Tobias and announced “Tobias Snape because of the plea of clemency by your sibling and son, you have served the first part of your sentence….you have been punished in the Tartarus realm and now comes the second part of your sentence Tobias…..you must earn your redemption by redeeming yourself in the upper world. Now we will see if you have learnt the lessons that your punishment was meant to part to you” 

Tobias tried to speak to say that he definitely learnt his lesson, Hades just held his hand up and continued speaking as if Tobias had not tried to speak “You will relive your life again from a point in your life when although you have made mistakes….you will be able to rectify those mistakes and yes you will be able to remember your punishment and the lives that you were forced to relive in the Tartus realm…..it is my and my consort hope that with your returning to the upper world and reliving your life and making the correct choices this time, you can influence not only your sons life for the better but a lot of other people’s lives…….. BUT KNOW THIS TOBIAS SNAPE…IF YOU DO NOT LEARN FROM YOUR TIME IN THE TARTUS REALM……YOU WILL BE SENT TO THE TARTUS REALM WHEN YOU NEXT STAND BEFORE ME AND MY CONSORT FOR JUDGEMENT AGAIN AND THE PUNISHMENT WILL BE HORRRIFIC AND NEVER ENDING”

Persephone smiled at Tobias and spoke gently to him “To ensure Tobias that you do not forget your time in the Tartus realm and the lessons you learnt I will give you a gift that will be a constant reminder of your time in the Tartus realm….go in peace and with my blessing Tobias Alexander Snape” with that bewitching musical voice in his ears Tobias found himself waking up on the 23rd December in the Cokeworth park on a bench after the first (and only Tobias vowed) drunken stupor. Tobias remembered this day well in his previous life, he had been shocked and afraid when he saw his three old son Severus perform accidental magic, Tobias had left the small family house the previous evening believing what his wife Eileen had gleefully told him, that she could curse and control him by using her gift of magic against him. Tobias now knew what he had to do today and that was to take himself and Severus away from his mad wife and make them a new life with the hopefully the help and support of his family down south. Tobias as he reach in his trouser pocket for the remainder of his wages noticed tattooed on the same hand that Harry Potter had the saying of ‘I must not tell lies’ the motto ‘Forget not my life lessons’, and Tobias found it a fitting motto for him.

When Tobias looked in his wallet he found he had enough money to buy two train tickets from Cokeworth to his home town in the county of Hertfordshire. Tobias knew that him and Severus would land on his families doorstep late on Christmas eve, he could only hope that his family would at least take Severus in for him, if need be he would sleep rough until he could find work and lodgings for him and his son. With that decision in mind he made his way slowly to the train station to purchase the tickets for himself and Severus.


	3. Buying tickets for the father christmas special 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tobias buys the train tickets to get Severus and himself down to his home town of Stevenage

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is another boring chapter sorry, but hopefully starts to show that Tobias did not start out abusing Severus and Eileen. And what will Tobias do when he finds out exactly what Severus has packed to travel on the train trip to Stevenage? Hope you like this chapter

It took Tobias approximately half an hour to reach the local railway station. When he reached the ticket teller window and asked for the tickets then teller reminded Tobias that as Severus was under five then he didn’t need a ticket as long as Tobias was prepared to carry Severus on his lap if need be. Tobias just brought himself a ticket, reasoning with himself that he might need any money left from his wages to ensure that at least Severus ate until he reached his family in Hertfordshire.

The only available train that Tobias could reserve a seat on from York station to Stevenage was the 4am train the next day. It meant a cramped and uncomfortable night staying in York before he and Severus caught the train. But on the plus side Tobias realised he a little extra time to ensure that the pair of them could reach York before their train departed, it also gave Tobias time to get something for Severus to eat and drink on the long Train Journey from Cokeworth to York, and then from York to Stevenage.

Walking back to the slum area which Tobias and his family lived in, he remembered what had drove him out of the house towards one of the local pubs. It hadn’t been that Severus had done his first bit of accidental magic. But the fact that his shrew of a wife Eileen had use Severus first act of magic to try to control him using fear of what she could do to Tobias and even their son with her own magic. Tobias now realised that Eileen had never really loved him, she needed for some reason a weak and malleable man to control. But in his old life Tobias realised somehow Eileen’s control of him had sparked over a relative short time his fear turning to anger at the manipulation of him, and then the anger had turned physical and abusive towards others including he now knew his poor son Severus. Tobias knew that he had to stop the cycle of abuse now, before it really got out of control. What Tobias could not understand was how he had become a person that used anger and mainly physical abuse to try and control his wife and son. He knew that his immediate family consisting of his two siblings and parents would never turn on their family, and especially use physical means to do so.

It was with fear that Tobias entered the family home in the rough area of Cokeworth called Spinners end. Spinners End comprised of streets of terraced houses that were had a back alleyway leading down the street between the two streets of the terraced houses, allowing the residents of the property to use the small yard as the main access to the properties. Each house had a a small back yard that serviced as a garden for the houses inhabitants, the houses had been built for the Spinners Factory workers in the later part of the 19th century. So were in fact just two bedroomed property, that had just two rooms downstairs and upstairs. One of the rooms was the main living space of the house residents, and included the kitchen and a small space for the dining ro9om table and chairs, the kitchen looked out towards the backyard, the other room was the parlour or living room, this room was smaller than the kitchen as it was the room that was meant only to be used for very special occasions including the resting of the dead in the parlour before the official funeral. Many of the houses on Spinner End had seen their dead inhabitants be carried out feet first in their casket followed by their mourning families.

Upstairs the houses had been built with two bedrooms, where all the inhabitants of the family would sleep. Although in more modern times extensions had been built on most of the houses to increase the downstairs living space and incorporate a indoors bathroom including a bath. The houses themselves did not have a hallway that separated the downstairs rooms from the stairs and the front and back doors. In these terraced houses the fount door led directly into the parlour or the living room, whilst the back door led into the kitchen area and stairs that accessed the upper bedrooms and now the bathroom. The Snape’s rented their house from a private landlord, their house had already been neglected for a time by their land lord even before they had moved in to the house.

Now the house looked even worse for wear, through the obvious neglect of Eileen, Tobias worked a full forty eight hour week at the local factory that joined Spinners End, the factory produced yarn and cloth for the rag trade businesses. Everybody at the factory realised that it was only a matter of time before the factory was closed due to cheaper and better made foreign imports and then the desolation feeling in Spinners End would be just intensified as people who gain other employment left the area, and the rest of the inhabitants of the area were forgotten by society and slowly learnt how to survive on the benefits from the National Government. Tobias had when tried to ensure that their house was clean and well care for, but after a long day at the factory he was to tired to do much, and Eileen always felt that even completing the basics of housework and looking after Severus properly was beneath her. Many a time Tobias realised during the long walk to the house that morning Eileen had neglected their only son, some days it was only Tobias that had fed Severus when he had got home from the shift at the factory. Tobias had thanked his lucky stars the day he had met the noisy old woman in the next street who he had paid to look after Severus for the days he was working at the factory. Monday to Friday Tobias had left Severus at half seven in the evening at old Edna’s six days a week, till he could pick the lad up at six in the evening and one on Saturday. It wasn’t for Edna then Tobias believed that Severus would have still been in soiled nappies during the day. Saturday afternoon and Sunday were the days that he spent inclusively with Severus, maybe going to the Saturday afternoon football match and having fish and chips on the way home. Sunday was the day that Tobias spent trying to teach Severus how to read, write and do basic arithmetic. Eileen would scoff at Tobias and Severus spending time together. The one and only time that Tobias had done decorating had turned into a playtime for Severus, Tobias had asked a mate who was a professional decorator if he would help Tobias decorate the front room, well that Saturday afternoon Severus had joined the men and had a fun time playing with the wallpaper paste and the small amount of wallpaper that Severus was given to assist them in decorating the room. Eileen had lost it when she had returned from where she had gone that afternoon, to find Severus covered head to foot in wall paper paste, she had stormed out of the house after publicly lambasting Tobias to everybody in the room. Even when the room had been finished Eileen was not satisfied, she had continually criticised Tobias for his and his mates efforts. Tobias realised now walking into the kitchen to confront Eileen that the incident had marked the beginning of the end of their relationship and marriage.

Eileen sat at the kitchen table chain smoking cigarettes, Tobias also realised that his wife had been drinking as well. Tobias saw peeking out from the parlour their Severus fearful face, before addressing Eileen Tobias knelt down and beckoned Severus over and he told the boy “Severus….we are going on Father Christmas train tomorrow to our new home with your aunts and uncles….now I need you to be a big boy and go and pack what you want to take with you….because we won’t becoming back here again..go on son” with that Severus gave a toothy smile and raced to pack his back pack that his grandma Edna had given him a long time ago. Tobias then stood up to look at thre furious face of his wife Eileen.


	4. Leaving the Northern sights

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tobias and Severus start their long journey down to Stevenage

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter does have fluff in it, and Tobias has a surprised at the café in York. But thi8s chapter does have some British History in it which you may find boring so you have been warned, and Eileen is not a nice person in this story

Severus ran up the stairs quickly and into his bedroom carrying his back pack with him, he looked around at all his things that he had, of course he wanted to take the few toys he had. He knew that Father Christmas would not be leaving him any presents no matter where he was, his ma had made sure he knew that when she had wrote a letter to Father Christmas detailing how bad he had been during the year. All the bad things he had done in her presence must surely he thought out weigh the good things that his da and grandma Edna said he did. His ma would shake and shout at him when he didn’t answer her shouting at him, he honestly couldn’t hear her most of the time, most voices and sounds were very muffled. Very often his ma would turn him around and before she could punish him with her wand or the big copper stick, she would shake him and call him a half mud retard. 

Severus nodded to himself, he would just have to pack what he could and leave the rest behind. Half and hour later his da knock on his door to find that Severus had packed and laying ion the small bed was a box (with crude holes in it) and a back pack. His da nodded at him and added Severus meagre amount of clothes to his own large wheeled holdall that he was carrying with a smile his da helped Severus put his light back pack on, gave Severus he box to carry and pick him up. His da carefully made his way down the steep stairs, and confronted his ma at the bottom of the stairs, she must have been waiting for them because she screamed loud enough that even Severus could hear and understand her “GO ON TAKE THAT HALF MUD RETARD ANNIMAL WITH YOU AND FLEE YOU COWARD BACK TO YOUR FAMILY! DO YOU THINK THEY AND ESPECIALLY YOUR STUCK UP BITCH OF A SISTER WANT TO BE ASSOCIATED WITH A LOOSER LIKE YOU TOBIAS AND YOUR RETARDED SON! YOUR NOT A MAN TOBIAS……NO YOU ARE A LOWLY RAT WHO RUNS BACK TO HIS FAMILY FOR FORGIVENESS WHEN SOMETHING DON’T GO YOUR WAY……YOUR PATHETIC, JUST A PATHETIC MAN AND YOUR SON IS JUST A RETARDED HALF MUD WHO I WASH MY HANDS OF” with that his ma turn back towards the kitchen table to continue her drinking, just ignoring her son and husband who made a quick escape out of their old home and down the alleyway towards the bus stop to get the bus into town and the railway station. 

It was on the bus that Tobias suddenly realised what he was doing, as the bus travelled along the old industrial town and past the park that separated the middle class houses, and the relatively wealthy white collar working class. With their neat front gardens and spacious rooms (upper gits the Spinner End habitants called them) from the poor and blue collar working inhabitants. The park with the old cottage hospital and swimming pool had been donated and built by the owner of the Spinner factory at the end of the 19th century. Ever since the park and swimming pool had been opened the only visitors had been the upper gits. Parading around in their funerary after the Sunday church service. Listening to the bands playing on the band stand, even Cokeworth war memorial was not in the park, it was in a green patch of land called the bowling green attached to the Cokeworth town centre. The stated reason the war memorial had been placed on the bowling green was so that it had a prominent place in the town where every body could pay the respects to the fallen of two world wars. The unofficial reason of course was that the upper gits didn’t want there designated space of the park tainted by the lower classes using it, even if it was just for one day of the year. 

There were other differences between the two different classes, the Upper gits worshiped at the big Church of England church in Cokeworth high street. The lower classes mainly worshiped at the Methodist and Baptist chapels in Cokeworth, for years the congregations of the towns different churches had been full as most inhabitants of Cokeworth attended Sunday service at a church or chapel of their choice. This wasn’t because Cokeworth was an especially religious town. Cokeworth inhabitants had to attend church just to be considered for a job or a position of work. The unofficial rule that only good and moral people were employable in British towns and rural areas had been in effect till quite recently. The churches and their charity boards controlled most of the sources of help and assistance for destitute poor and working class people until very recently, when the British Government after the war had introduced the welfare state including the National Health Service. All employed people payed a small sum to the Government out of their wages to ensure that everybody including the unemployed had a income. 

The harsh life and conditions of the British workhouses were still recent memories for many people who grew up before their official closure in the 1930’s. People knew that workhouses were the very last resort if they found themselves destitute, the conditions were harsh and brutal and anybody could become a member of the workhouse, Charles Dickens the famous British author had been an inhabitant when his middle class family became destitute when he was a child. To have any hope for assistance by the goodwill charities when a family was destitute before the implementation of the welfare state, the family had to be seen as being of good and moral stock and one way of doing this was to attend church every Sunday and high days. 

Even through Tobias knew that he was taking his only son away from a harsh abusive life, it had been difficult to walk away from a job with a small son on the hope that his family would forgive him and take them in again. Out of his £9.50 week wages Tobias had left just £2.00 enough he hoped to at least get Severus food and drink when they arrived at York station, he had put the money he needed to phone his sister when they arrived in Stevenage in a pocket of holdall so he wouldn’t use it. Tobias half listened to Severus rattling on about what he saw out of the bus window. It was already dark when the Snape’s reached the railway station and Tobias managed to squeeze them on to a train bound to the first stop on the long journey to York Station where they would catch their train to London and then catch the slow train back out to Stevenage, or the fast train to Hitchin and then catch the slow two train car to Stevenage where he would phone his sister and tell her the news of his and Severus escape out of Cokeworth. Tobias just smiled at his son and his imagination when Severus kept whispering into the box he was carrying, you would think that Severus had a pet in there thought Tobias. But that would never be the case, as Eileen had never once countered having a living animal in their old home, Tobias had reluctantly over the few years they had lived in Cokeworth refused to have rabbits from good hearted neighbours, even though they were a good source of meat for the table, he had never trusted Eileen not to poison any animals that would have been kept in their small back yard.

It was getting very late when Tobias and Severus finally reached York railway station, the building was an imposing site and reminded Tobias of his happiness and enthusiasm at finally him and Eileen starting to make their own way in the world. Well away from the inferring and bullying of his family as Tobias thought at the time, but now he knew better of course, the rows had been manufactured by Eileen to estranged relations between them and his family. To isolate him and then Severus and ensure she thought to manipulate and keep control of Tobias and Severus.

Walking out of the imposing Station building Tobias spied a transport café that was luckily opened all night, he walked in carrying Severus and their belongings and sat down at one of the plastic tableclothed tables. He started to look at the menu, deciding what Severus should eat and drink before hopefully the child would be able to go asleep on his lap for most of the night in the warm café. Severus bent down towards the box and whispered at it, he then nodded his head and spoke to his dad ordering a cheese burger and chips. Tobias ordered a orange juice for Severus and a cup of tea for himself. Before their food arrived Tobias took Severus to the toilet and ensured he washed his hands, he was walking back to their table when he saw a amused look on their waitress face and she staring into Severus opened box. Severus sprinted to the box and grabbed from it a thin mangy long haired cat (telling the Katty that he had to behave) and a pigeon then cooed from the box and hopped onto Severus shoulder. Really thought Tobias could this Christmas get any odder.


	5. A night in a Cafe

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tobias and Severus spend the night in the cafe, before making the journey down towards Stevenage

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is full of moments of fluff. Tobias finds out that people can be nice with out an ulterior motive

Tobias slowly followed Severus to their table, where his tea and Severus dinner was now on the table. The waitress came over with a saucer of cooked fish for the cat and a few seeds for the pigeon that was grooming his son’s hair. The café had also brought a shallow dish filled with water for the cat and pigeon to drink from. 

Tobias looked at the money left in his wallet and trouser pocket, there was enough to ensure that Severus had a breakfast in the morning before they got the train to London and for him to have a cup of tea. He got Severus notice and signed to him to stay at the table till he returned, Tobias then stood and made his way to the public telephone that he had seen outside the café, the waitress seeing where Tobias was going to gestured to him to the counter and then shoved their telephone towards him. Tobias sighed and thanked the waitress who just rolled her eyes and commented that it was nothing. Tobias took out the scrap of paper he had in his hand and dialled the number on it.

It was half an hour later when he returned to the table where Severus was petting his cat and the Pigeon was still grooming his son’s hair. Giving his Severus comfort in this strange environment. Tobias sat back down at the table and pulled his son into his lap, soon Severus was asleep, and Tobias closed his eyes for a moment and he soon was fast asleep as well.

It was four hours later when a well-dressed woman walked into the café holding a cat box, she was followed by her husband who carried a bird cage. The woman looked round the café and spied Tobias and Severus. She sat down at the table and the waitress came over to the table the woman gave her order and then paid for the bill for Tobias and Severus food with a generous tip added for the café staff for looking after her younger sibling and nephew. 

Tobias woke up to find his sister looking at him with a fresh cup of tea and a bacon roll in front of him. Tobias blinked twice, he had never expected his sister and brother-in-law to come and pick them up when he telephoned her earlier. He had phoned her out of courtesy and to ensure that there was at least a room for his son, he had even expected his sister to demand that Severus ‘pets’ be left outside their house, seeing as most people would just see very dirty, wild and unkempt animals. Tobias just said the first stupid thing he thought which was “I thought you were to meet us at Stevenage Station later this morning” His sister rolled her eyes as if Tobias was being particular stupid on purpose and in a voice in which he knew not from experience not to ignore replied “So! We were just going to leave you to make your way to Stevenage from here with a deaf son, two pets and your belongings on Christmas bloody eve! I see that you have lost most of your common sense living with that shrew….” She now pointed at Tobias and then waved her hand around the table and continued “You ARE and WILL ALWAYS BE FAMILY TOBIAS MICHAEL SNAPE! No matter what stupid and disastrous things you do, we will always have you and your and nephews back because we love you and gods above know why sometimes you idiot”

His brother-in-law just smiled and shook his head, and gently took from Severus his cat and Pigeon which he put in the respective carrying cases. The second trip he took their belongings and put them in their car with Severus pets, he came back in and sat down and finished his drink. 

Tobias took a shaky breath and summoned his courage and answered the burning question of the moment in his mind “Hmm…where will Severus live while I try to find us a place to live” His sister just looked at him in amazement and then huffed and said with a hurt in her voice “You both will be living with us for the time being….well until mum and dad get there hands on you! And then you will be living with them I expect, and no I have not told anybody else except Conrad who is trying to get supplies for someone. All anybody will be told is that there will be an extra two people joining us and his wife family in the house we have all rented for Christmas in Dorset” with that his sister nodded towards the café door and Tobias quickly found himself sitting in the back seat with Severus asleep on his lap, with a warm blanket covering both of them. As the countryside flew past the car, all Tobias could think of was that he was thankful for second chances and his family that would just take him and his son back just because they loved him.


End file.
